Biology Unit 4

Revision Notes

Topic 6: Infection, Immunity and Forensics

12. Describe the non-specific responses of the body to
infection, including inflammation, lysozyme action,
interferon and phagocytosis.

Response Inflammation Lysozyme action Interferon Phagocytosis

How it Damaged white cells An enzyme found A chemical White blood cells
fights the release histamines that in tears, sweat released from engulf, digest and
infection cause arterioles to dilate and the nose cells stops destroy bacteria and
and capillaries to become destroys bacteria protein foreign material. These
more permeable. Blood by breaking down synthesis in phagocytes include
flow to the area increases the bacterial cell viruses neutrophils and
and plasma, white blood walls monocytes (which
cells and antibodies leak become macrophages)
out into tissues

Inflammation
The inflammatory response involves a number of stages:

 Special cells called mast cells are found in the connective tissue below the skin and around
blood vessels. When this tissue is damaged, mast cells along with damaged white blood cells
release chemicals called histamines.
 They cause the blood vessels in the area, particularly the arterioles, to dilate, causing local
heat and redness. The locally raised temperature reduces the effectiveness of pathogen
reproduction in the area.
 The histamines also make the walls of the capillaries leaky as the cells forming the walls
separate slightly. As a result fluid, including plasma, white blood cells and antibodies, is
forced out of the capillaries causing swelling (oedema) and often pain.
 The white blood cells and antibodies disable and destroy the pathogens.

Fever
Normal body temperature is maintained by the hypothalamus and follows a regular circadian
rhythm, lowest in the early hours of the morning and highest at about 10pm. When a pathogen
infects the body it causes the hypothalamus to reset to a higher body temperature – we have a fever.

A raised temperature seems to help the body combat infection in two ways:

 Many pathogens reproduce most quickly at 37°C or lower. Thus a raised temperature will
reduce the ability of many pathogens to reproduce effectively and so they cause less
damage.
 Your specific response system works better at higher temperatures and so will be more
successful at combating the infection.

Text Book: p.96 – 98

Biology Unit 4
Revision Notes

In a bacterial infection the temperature rises steadily and remains fairly high until treatment is
successful or the body overcomes the infection. In a viral infection the temperature tends to “spike”,
shooting up high every time viruses burst out of the cells and then dropping down to normal again.

If fevers get too high they can be damaging and even fatal. If your body temperature rises above 40°C
the denaturation of some enzymes takes place and you may suffer permanent tissue damage.

Phagocytosis
This is often seen in association with inflammation. It involves white blood cells. There are two main
groups of white blood cells - Granulocytes which have granules that can be stained in their cytoplasm
and Agranulocytes which have no granules.

Phagocyte is a general term used to describe white blood cells which engulf and digest pathogens
and any other foreign material in the blood and tissues. There are two main types of phagocytes

 Neutrophils – are granulocytes and make up 70% of the white cells

 Macrophages – are agranulocytes and make up about 4%

They accumulate at the site of an infection to attack the invading pathogens. The phagocytes can
sometimes be seen as pus – a build-up of dead cells which are mainly neutrophils.

Interferon
When cells are invaded by viruses they begin to produce a group of chemicals called interferons.
Interferons are proteins that inhibit viral replication within the cells. An interferon diffuses from the
cell where it is made into the surrounding cells. It binds to receptors in the surface membranes of
uninfected cells, stimulating a pathway which makes the cells resistant to infection by viruses by
preventing viruses reproducing. In this way it prevents the infection of more cells when the viruses
break out of the first cell.

Video Tutorials:
 http://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/v/role-of-phagocytes-in-innate-or-
nonspecific-immunity
 http://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/v/inflammatory-response
 http://brightstorm.com/science/biology/the-human-body/immune-system/

Online Resources:
 http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/immunity/revise-it/the-second-line-of-defence

Text Book: p.96 – 98